Sicily is characterized by a generalized illegal land use and by fragmentation of planning tools and government levels. We would propose some reforms to increase the efficacy of the actual regional planning of provinces.

Abstract

Sicily is a place full of contradictions where itís hard starting and managing processes of enduring development. Here, the consequences of modernity (of capitalism) had more dramatic effects than in other countries. This region expresses a strong resistance against changes promoted by public actors or institutions. The territorial setting is characterized by a dualism between coastal and inner parts. This state is due to a double land use: from a hand a linear conurbation along the coastal boundaries with concentration of settlements and activities, on the other abandon and economical weakness and, in recent times, a form of sprawl, outcome of the affirmation of new residential models in the internal areas. Land wasting is not only the effect of local trends, but itís also related to illegal housing and it depends on the substantial inefficacy of planning and government that have considered merely the edificatory capacity of land. The unitary vision of territory is compromised by: excessive fragmentation of planning tools and lack of coordination between different levels of governments. Regional planning rules, in fact, provide and allow deregulation, division of tasks and roles, spatial and functional separation. It seems emblematic that the Piano Territoriale Urbanistico Regionale , started in the Ď70s, hasnít been ended and approved till now! Maybe this ďpicture without frameĒ is one of the reason for the exiguity of city plans and regional plans of provinces . Now plans of provinces (large-scale) seem able to deal with some issues as, for example, the promotion of development policies or the environment safeguard. So they could save land from further spread and wasting. Moreover, this condition of incompleteness can be seen as a chance for experimentation: we would suggest some proposals about roles and relations between different planning tools (looking at the recent reform in Sardinia) understanding planning as an improvement and equity guaranty and not as a constrain.